GSL Code S Group H Results

The excitement builds! Can’t wait for Jinro and IdrA! Having said that the opening ‘curtain raiser’ Code A games were not very enjoyable to say the least. Certainly not Code S material. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was so much lag on the stream tonight. Seems as though the word got out that some white guys were playing in Korea tonight.

On to the opening game. The ‘real’ curtain raiser saw oGsEnsnare and CheckPrime.WE in cross position on Shakuras Plateau for a TvZ battle.

Ensnare started the early pressure with a medivac drop harass on the natural of the triple hatch zerg. The skirmish was soon put to rest by Check’s mass zerglings. Banelings and speedlings were the order of the day for Check and he soon got to work on massing the ranks.

A bit of a lull in the match while both players were allowed to tech up and expand. Zerg went for mutas, while Terran continued to produce tanks and marines and medivacs. Check certainly had control of the skies, but Ensnare dropped a group of marines and marauders at the north rocks outside Check’s base to draw the flock of mutas while the main attack pushed through the south rocks. Mass marines, marauders, tanks and medivacs rolled through the limited defense and took out Check’s third expansion which now put Ensnare ahead four bases to three. Form here, oGsEnsnare made fantastic use of his siege tanks push into the zerg territory, soaking up the banelings and zerglings and then pushed with his marines to take out another zerg expansion which ultimately led to CheckPrime tapping out.

The Main Event!

Jungle Basin was scene for these two heavy weights and with both players skilled in the art of macro we could be in for an epic match.

IdrA went early gas then dropped a pool before he expanded to his natural. I am sure he was comfortable he was not going to get rushed early in this match up. He then went for the baneling nest to build up a mass ling/baneling ball. Jinro, in the north, opened with a four rax with reactors and one tech lab and teched up to a starport for medi-vacs. He also set up a great defensive line for his main to left and had his natural saturated.

10 mins in, still no attacks – a true macro game – this was not going to dissapoint.

IdrA teched up and soon had his spire up and started pumping mutas. Meanwhile, Jinro started pushing out thors. Soon after, Jinro pushed out to the middle and took his third expanision, set up a defensive line and upgraded the command center to a planetary fortress. IdrA decided he had enough mutas to wreak havoc on Jinro’s mineral lines, heading up the left of Jinro’s main he hit heavy resistance in form of perfectly placed turrets and had to turn back.

IdrA took his fourth and found a weakness in Jinro’s defense and started harassing the natural with his 25+ stroung muta-waffe. However, help soon arrived in the form of marines and thors to send the mutas back. Now it was Jinro’s turn to harass and malign. Hi marine and tank heavy army pushed out taking down one of IdrA’s expansion and denied another soon after wrestling control of the maop away from IdrA. IdrA counters, targetting the tanks but loses a lot of mutas to the mass marine and thor army of Jinro.
With both players on three bases, Jinro was doing well and continually denied IdrA from taking a fourth expo. IdrA was behind and needed an extra base to get in front but was losing too many units. Jinro was well in front and had total map control forcing a gg from IdrA to go 1-0.

Wow! What a fantastic match – definitely check out the VOD when you get a chance. Well played by both but Jinro denying that fourth expo really turned it his way.

Third match between Ensnare and IdrA on Xel’Naga Caverns, which had IdrA to the north and Ensnare to the south. Ensnare opened with a quick hellion push but IdrA knew what was coming and countered the hellions with roaches. Not to be put off Ensnare teched up to blue flame hellions and harassed IdrA’s natural. This was just to take out some drones, but not really push. IdrA soonafter took his third and teched up to banelings and mutalisks. Interestingly, Ensnare had not teched to medivacs but rather keeping with ground forces compiled of marines, marauders and tanks. Would it be enough to hold off the fearsome muta/bane army coming his way?

The mutas were now at mass and able to harass and force some stims on the medic-less marines. IdrA pushed out a little to which Ensnare responded, forcing another stim, to which IdrA then rolled through the terran ground forces with his banelings, speedlings and the mutas supporting. IdrA had already taken his fourth by this stage while Ensnare was behind and rebuilding his expansion to get back on terms witht he zerg.

IdrA took his fifth at the gold and then took a flight path across the bottom of the map to harass the natural and main mineral lines of Ensnare. His greater spire would soon be completed and he had a great position on the map with six mineral lines to Ensnare’s four and of course was well in front and would be able to resupply his army back to 200 at any given moment.

IdrA pushed to take out most of Ensnares army at the terran gold and then remaxed with 17 ultras turning the map into a sea of snapping chitinous blades leaving a path of destruction no one could recover from! 1-1 for EGIdrA and oGsEnsnare. Another epic macro game!

Jinro v CheckPrime on Jungle Basin in another TvZ battle.

A nice microed harass of four marines and a hellion on Check’s main definitely put Jinro in front and it looked like it was going to an early game. However, a huge mistake from Jinro not walling in correctly or having any defensive units to stop Check’s zerglings from getting into his main swung the pendulum well into Check’s favour. More skirmishes ensued, but the zerg had total map control. Jinro had to get his third expo but was constantly being denied by Check. The zerg had such an advantage, now on four bases, it was simply a hold the middle expo and repel Jinro, resupply his forces then wash and repeat. As it was, Jinro’s third push for the middle expansion was the end as Check had too many units for Jinro to hold and the swarm won the day.

It all goes back to the wall in. Unfortunately it was one single mistake from LiquidJinro that swung the match in CheckPrime.WE’s favour. Must be sickening.

So all players at 1-1 with the terrans facing off in the next match. For the final match the zergs would finalise the group.

So LiquidJinro and oGsEnsare were off to Lost Temple and were positioned close in the bottom left (Jinro with upper base).

Both teched up and because of their proximity decided to go for the drop/harass. oGsEnsnare was the first to make the attempt, but as both players had decided to do the same tactic, Jinro was rallying his troops right were Ensnare planned his drop and thus was defeated in this skirmish. Jinro then quickly followed up making a much more successful drop, harassing with blue flame hellions and marines, doing some good damage to the outlying buildings in Ensnare’s main.

Ensnare made another attack, this time on Jinro’s natural, which had a great effect on Jinro’s economy. This put Ensnare well in front. Not to be outdone, Jinro replied with a great hellion drop, via the scenic route, on Ensnares natural which brought the scv count back in Jinro’s favour.

The game evolved into more of a macro game with both players looking to expand and control their respective naga towers. It was a classic to and fro match and the gaemplay just has to be seen to be believed. My words cannot describe it. I am sorry but I can’t write anymore about this match – other than it was FUCKING EPIC! Do yourself a favour, spend $10 at gomtv.net, watch the 50 minute VOD and see how real terrans play! It had everything – map control, contain, air battles, ground battles, micro, macro even battle cruisers. The only thing missing was nukes. Fantastic game and a fantastic win for Jinro!

Now our hopes turned to IdrA and his ZvZ battle with CheckPrime.WE on Jungle Basin. With most of the matches tonight being half hour plus marathons, this was refreshing. IdrA opened with a fast expansion spending his time on scouting what Check was going to do. Check’s baneling nest was seen and IdrA went immediately for roaches. Check saw the roach warren and was forced to cancel his baneling nest and start his own roach warren. Check was then able to get his natural up and teched up to mutas as he had control of the map with his speedlings. As soon as his mutas were in the air, he took a third and started harassing IdrA’s natural. IdrA had seen the spire in Check’s base and had responded with a hydralisk den – these of which sent the harassing mutas packing.

IdrA then took out Check’s third expo with a mass of roaches. Then it turned into a scene from Benny Hill with IdrA’s roaches and hydras chasing Check’s roaches around the middle island. Once a full rotation had been completed, IdrA sent his forces straight into Check’s main and cleaned house to take out second spot in the group and advance to the round of 16!

This was the best night of GSL ever. I maybe biased with Jinro and IdrA advancing to the next round, but I think you will agree that the Code S matches from tonight were truly sensational. Bring on the round of 16!